Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-03
fell into tho trip like the innocent lamb
T knew him to be.

fell into tno trhp Ike tut ihhcSohs @
/ knew him TO be.
lyon arc right" said the Doctor
suddenly, "quite right, and 1t is very
kind aud gracious OF you TO put II IN
that way. / am reminded that 1 can
take The money now and send 1t BACK
TO your friend, as you suggest, after l
have entered upon the ancient channel.
With that understanding | will receive
Il. thank you very much indeed.
We then visited "the ranch, as the
Professor called it. have mentioned
there was spiing at this spot. Inc
Doctor explained that il seeped through
from the buried river-"probaoly
through some crevice occasioned oy
sbrinkage in the rim.rock after being
superheated. A little below the
NJ outh of the tunnel it disappeared,
hut there was o patch OF several acres
of black soil there, which was cou-
stantly moist. even upon the surface
during the driest summer. ms the
Doctor said he was going to plant the
following season in watermeloDs, musk
melons. tomatoes, etc f, and on the
higher land surrounding it fruit-trees,
such as peaches, apricots, neetarines,
and figs, and on the stony land grapes.
These we're almost the first agricul-
iural plants which we had heard OF In
the mines, at least on so extensive
scale, and they seemed to us nearly as
novel and visionary as The ancient chan
mel itself
1.-THE old fellow must be going to
settle down for life," said Harry,
laughing, "and under the shadow OF
his own vine and fig-tree."
After this we didn't see much OF the
Professor for many months but we
heard of him from time to time on the
river-at Jim Town and the vicinity.
His cure OF Spencer became known,
and his services as physician were
soon in considerable request. He had
either wonderfully good luck or I'M
common skill, for he cured every pa
tent and inspired universal confidence,
which made his one crazy point the
more conspicuous and painful, OF
course. He never appeared to trouble
| himself about a fee. III the patient
was poor he not only gave his services
but furnished medicines, refusing all
remuneration if rich, Pay me what
you think you can afford" he would
say. So soon as it became generally
known that he waited on rich and poor
alike that he would make any journey
in any weather-during the rain-storms
wrapped in an old, half-military cloak,
but the rusty suit and the stove-pipe
never failing to appear at the critical
moment-and that he was $50 crazy
kind" as one poor fellow'put it; then
some of those who could afford to pay
paid the more literally f; and / doubt,
after all, if he lost anything by his
generosity, for everybody wanted to do
the old gentleman o good turn, and
when that is the case almost everybody
succeeds in doing it, sooner or later.
1t WAS soon discovered that he was
mighty tight at o bargain. lie paid
cash for everything-lumber, pro
visions, hardware, and so on for, OF
course, nobody would have liked to
trust him as they did us, who were a
rich company witha sure thing. Every
one knew that the old fellow must
break up ON his tunnel sooner or
later; and the most inconsiderate
felt a sort of pity to see good
money going into the barren noun
tain, and so clever and learned gen
tleman under such n delusion. The
sorekeeper's sympathy took the form
of letting him have things at quite u
discount-for cash, of course-and the
boys generally knew perfectly well
what it meant when the Professor paid
only twenty five dollars for barrel OF
flour when we paid thirty, and 50 on.
In fact, he became quite a privileged
character until everybody around the
country far and wide was glad to see
"the old stovepipe" put in an appear
ance.
Still, he did not altogether escape
ridicule. There was wild lot of boys
about in those days, and what they
deemed little bit OF harmless fun with
the old Professor was very dear to
them. But they soon found that he
was very sensitive, especially upon sci
entific subjects and his pet delusion
so he no sooner began to bristle up aud
stand on his dignity than they would
knock off their devilment and make
it up with the Professor, who
was as easily reconciled as a
lovable, high-spirited child. One
day a lot of our boys, riding for a
pasco up to his ranch, met the old gen
tleman on the road busy with pocket
microscope prone upon the ground
prying into some insignificant spots OF
stains almost invisible to the cyesighi
of the ordinary observer. He certainly
did look ridiculous, with the rusty
black suit, dust-cOvered and soiled, the
coarse, ungainly shoes, an ancient high
black stock or cravat, and the memOra
BILE stovepipe tilted on to the back Of
his head to afford greater facility fol
the use of the instrument.
The boys set up shout as soon a.
they saw him, which was Enthusiastically
q shout of derision, and then sur
rounded him and began to tease anC
chat.
"What have We got there, ole
man?" said one prospecting To-
diamonds 2"
"No, no-he's prospecting for the
ancient channel, said another. "Hay'
you broke through the rim yet, Pro
fessor 2
81 can't understand Why you mi
ners -youmen of muscle-makes SO LITTLE
of science said the Doctor, straight
ening himself up, coloring, and stand
ing on his dignity, with the stOye-pipt
stlll tilted back, and shaking the pocket
microscope at his tormentors, ~ he
warmed to his subject. "If you mce'
a poor plodding sayant on the road
breaking his bits of rocks, scraping to
gether his little harvest OF weeds
or busy with his lens anon
the Larvae of insects, il you dc
not laugh at and deride him, you q
least treat him as one demented, as {
/ silly addlepate or an imbecile. YET
, may that forlorn enthusiast with hi
microscope perhaps stop the rayagei
/ of some insect pest which has caused
more disaster to humanity than flood
| fire, famine, pestilence, or even war it
self. Yes said the Professor, look
ing even dignifed as he became MGR,
! earnest, Sin the knapsack OF som'
: such crazy pedant may lie secre
} which shall pay tenfold the nationa
debt Of .le greatest nation on earth
, You men measure achievement 10y TIN
) pound, or rather by the ounce troy,
, | Ia od1a1 h;ffariv Hanb hrliava /,